Monthly Archives: December 2018

Known for exceptional mimicry, stick insects have evolved a range of egg-laying techniques to maximize egg survival while maintaining their disguise -- including dropping eggs to the ground, skewering them on leaves, and even enlisting ants for egg dispersal. Scientists have now combined knowledge on these varied techniques with DNA analysis to create the best...

A new Biological Reviews article considers how fire histories affect animals' movement and shape the distribution of species.

The new study, covering the largest study area on this animal group in peninsular territory, is now published in the journal Biodiversity Data Journal. Other participants in the study are the experts from the Experimental Station of Arid Zones (EEZA-CSIC) and the University of Helsinki (Finland).

Harvester ants that eat weed seeds on the soil's surface can help farmers manage weeds on their farms, according to an international team of researchers, who found that tilling less to preserve the ants could save farmers fuel and labor costs, as well as preserve water and improve soil quality.

The rate at which evolution produces new species of plants and animals, or at which existing species die out, is a subject of much interest -- and not only to scientists. That's because the rates of speciation and extinction can tell us much about the history of our planet. If lots of new species emerge...